A new metro rail project connecting Gabtoli with Dasherkandi in Dhaka has reached the final stage of the approval process and is expected to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) this week.

The MRT Line-5 Southern Route project will span 17.20 kilometres and is estimated to cost around Tk 45,500 crore. The project is scheduled for completion by August 2033.

According to the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the 13.10-kilometre section from Gabtoli to Aftabnagar will run underground, while the remaining 4.10-kilometre section from Aftabnagar Centre to Dasherkandi will be elevated.

The entire route will have 15 stations, including 11 underground and four elevated stations. The planned stations are Gabtoli, Technical, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Russell Square, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Aftabnagar Centre, Aftabnagar East, Nasirabad and Dasherkandi.

Mokchhed Ali, joint secretary at the Road Transport and Highways Division, said the project is planned to be presented at the ECNEC meeting in the first week of September and may receive approval at the meeting.

Once implemented, the project is expected to establish a direct and faster public transport link between Gabtoli in western Dhaka and key areas in the central and eastern parts of the capital.

Funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has not yet been finalised. However, DMTCL does not want to delay preparatory activities while waiting for the foreign financing decision.

Project officials said land acquisition could take around one to one-and-a-half years. During this period, tendering and other preparatory activities will continue, after which the main construction work will begin.

Project Director Abdul Wahab said the government would provide the funds required for land acquisition, allowing preliminary work to continue even if securing the ADB loan takes additional time. Construction of the tunnels alone could take around five years, so tunnel work is planned to begin at an early stage of the project.

Tender preparations for several project packages have already advanced. Final tender documents for CP-1 to CP-4 have been prepared and approved by the ADB, while documents for CP-6 and CP-7 are under review. Tender documents for CP-8 and CP-9 have also been prepared, according to project sources.